Keep Up the Fight Without Burning Out
November 2, 2023 | By David M. Wagner
“I’m just exhausted.”
This is the first emotion many of my clients express when I separate them from their work for a moment.
Why? All of us – whether activists on the front lines of movements, advocates moving policy behind the scenes, or leaders trying to transform our own organizations – are in the business of managing change.
Leadership Fatigue
People resist change. Overcoming that resistance is inherently draining.
Leaders who endure challenging work face possible burnout. The individual consequences can be severe: overwhelm, stress, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, a declining immune system.
You might be at risk if you feel—
A strong emotional attachment between the mission and your personal identity
Personally responsible for your mission’s success (or failure)
A sense of guilt if you put their own needs before those of the mission or the people you serve
Isolated, like it’s you against the world
There’s a mix of helpful, harmful, and inevitable in this bag. Let’s explore ways to maximize the good while minimizing harm.
Five Keys to Avoiding Burnout
Effective leaders keep up the battle for necessary change while sustaining their endurance for the long fight with these steps.
1. Set boundaries. This includes boundaries on demands for your time and emotional energy. As one example, you might choose not to engage emotionally difficult material after a certain time of day. Remember, you’re no good to anyone burnt out.
2. Recharge. Even the victims of great atrocities have survived by finding small pleasures to alleviate – and momentarily escape – their suffering. Make time for restorative activities.
3. Neutralize active resistance. When someone is hostile to your efforts, decide carefully whether to engage (their opposition is a roadblock), circumvent (you must counter them to be successful), remove (perhaps an internal dissenter), or ignore (most other cases).
4. Overcome passive resistance. Passive resistance is born not out of hostility, but inertia. Move people from their indifference with compassionate engagement – and win over supporters.
5. Leave guilt behind. A common concern I hear from leaders is, “if I don’t act, some calamity will occur.” That sense of responsibility tempts us to relax our boundaries (#1), give up our self-care (#2), or engage insincere actors who waste our energy (#3). But no matter how urgent our work is, “our job is to take the baton from the people who came before us and then pass it along to the next people.” We must endure if we are to do our part.
The journey ahead is long and often arduous. When we allow ourselves to feel personally responsible for somehow shortening the path, we do our mission a disservice and risk becoming another casualty of the trek. I have coached dozens of leaders on practical techniques to keep up their important work while avoiding burnout. If you are feeling weighed down by the burden of your cause, set a free consult today to discuss how coaching can help keep you energized.